Many chemical processes are required to manufacture semiconductor devices. These processes include deposition processes, photolithography processes, etching processes, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes and/or electrochemical mechanical polishing (ECMP) processes, among others. As a result of carrying out the foregoing processes, the semiconductor workpiece on which the processes are conducted typically becomes contaminated with particulate residue. Accordingly, the workpiece must be periodically rinsed and dried to prevent the particulate residue from interfering with subsequent process steps.
Several existing techniques have been developed for rinsing semiconductor workpieces. One such technique includes a rinse bath in which the workpiece is immersed in a volume of rinse solution and then dried. A drawback with this technique is that it requires a large volume of rinse liquid which then becomes contaminated with particulate matter and must be disposed of in accordance with proper handling procedures. The larger the volume of liquid that must be disposed of, the more time-consuming and/or expensive the disposal process becomes. Accordingly, other techniques that require smaller volumes of rinse liquid have been developed. One such technique includes a spin rinse/dry process in which the rinse liquid is disposed on the workpiece and the workpiece is then spun at high speed to both remove the rinse liquid and dry the workpiece. Another technique includes a proximity cleaning technique in which a rinse fluid is delivered to a local region of the workpiece and then removed (along with contaminating particulate matter) by suction. A representative device for carrying out such a process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,045,018 to Ravkin, et al., assigned to Lam Research Corporation of Fremont, Calif.
While the foregoing techniques have generally proven to be effective, there is a continual need to improve the efficiency with which workpieces are cleaned, e.g., by reducing the number of particulates left by such techniques. There is also a continual need to reduce the volume of fluid required by such techniques. Furthermore, there is a need to improve the efficiency with which other semiconductor chemical processes are conducted.